Israeli officials were angered to learn that dozens of Palestinian terror suspects arrested in Gaza were unconditionally released and returned to the Strip on Monday. Most prominent among them was Shifa Hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya.
“This morning’s publication and the chaos in the government regarding the release of the director of Shifa Hospital, is a direct continuation of the lawlessness and dysfunction of the Israeli government that leads to damage to the security of Israeli citizens,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid.
“The Minister of Defense did not know, the Minister of Internal Security is not involved, exchange of accusations. Everything is leaked. This is what a breakdown of values and functions looks like,” he added.
According to a Shin Bet statement, the prisoners were released to relieve overcrowding in prisons, and that counter-terror operations had even been cancelled because of the problem. The Shin Bet implicitly blamed Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying requests for more cells had gone unheeded for months.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening ordered the convening of a team that will examine the status and identity of prisoners from Gaza before they are released and determine if their releases can proceed following the controversial release of the director of the al-Shifa Hospital.
The Prime Minister’s office said that “the release of the director of the Shifa Hospital is a serious mistake and a moral failure. This man, under whose auspices our hostages were held and murdered, belongs in prison.” “The decision to release the director of the Shifa Hospital was made without the knowledge of the political echelon or the heads of the organizations,” Netanyahu’s office added.
He didn’t know, they didn’t know, not our problem, it’s their fault, not ours. This is an embarrassment for Israel and is a threat to its safety and security. Even worse is that this is playing out during a time of war when the country is fighting for its survival.